John Cunliffe, Military Foot Police

[Michael Felse]

Hello - sorry to say aged 74 I am not good at using social media but maybe you can help.  Tried to do searches for years. Got a look at a page WW1 Pension Ledger for my grand dad on mothers side John Cunliffe.  Born 1884. Discharged 3 Feb 1919. Service number P/6424 MFP Military (army) with pension record ledger 3/MC/no. 2451.  My mum was born in 1924 in St Helens and told me John was WW1 shot in his leg.  I have no info on his parents but my DNA is showing 48% Irish from West of Roscommon and my late aunt said John was born in Ireland.  Can anyone offer more details for my quest. Thank you.

[Michelle Young]

Welcome to the forum @Michael Felse. I’ve split this into a new separate thread to hopefully get you some answers. 

[Michael Felse]

Oh thank you I really enjoyed reading the other threads and can see very much good advice has been given to many.  

[Michelle Young]

Hopefully, @Provost will pick this one up.

[Provost]

Good afternoon Michael,

John was born in 1884 (possibly on 12th May) at Lower Ince, near Wigan - his address on discharge is listed as 1 Lyons Yard, Lower Ince. His occupation on enlistment in 1914 was a Miner. He transferred into the Military Mounted Police in January 1917 from the Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry, and on Feb 12th arrived in France for his first overseas service. He was awarded the British War and Victory Medals. He doesn't appear in those volumes of the Corps Order Books so far transcribed.

Hope this adds a bit, and I will PM you if I find anything else and to ask a couple of questions.

Cheers,

Richard

 

 

[Michael Felse]

Your good.  I will check these against my researched pages. I can then update you but I also read in your site threads about soldiers getting a new digest number of which I am sure I have because it names spouse of my gran Winifred Brannon on that page.  Exciting. Thanks. 

[Michael Felse]

OK so am quite sure there are 2 John Cunliffe in my search.  You give me good reason to feel the MMP listing is not my Grandad.  This leaves me certainty that my Grandad was John Cunliffe.  Medical Department 302 Infantry. Rank Private. Service number 1659019. Sailed on the Aquitania 5 July 1918 from New York, New York after ‘staying’ at Greystone, Rhode Island.  Spouse in 1918 being Winifred Cunliffe (formerly Brannon).  They went on to have 4 daughters with my Mum being oldest born in St Helens in 1924 but my late aunt insisted he was born in Ireland and I have his date of birth 4 Oct 1884 appear in a subsequent Census register. Otherwise I seem to have hit a brick wall for now.  

[Provost]

Morning John,

Thanks for letting me know. Good luck with your search.

Cheers

Richard

[Michael Felse]

Hi - can you please search on his Infantry Serial number 1659019 to help confirm or to help expand, perhaps there is info on the higher ranks where I might get to trawl for connected stories.  I hope for fuller picture before I physically travel to Roscommon on my quest next summer.  

[Terry_Reeves]

15 minutes ago, Michael Felse said:

Hi - can you please search on his Infantry Serial number 1659019 to help confirm or to help expand, perhaps there is info on the higher ranks where I might get to trawl for connected stories.  I hope for fuller picture before I physically travel to Roscommon on my quest next summer.  

Michael , this is a post- WW1 number issued to the Royal Artillery Coast Defence  and Anti-Aircraft Coast Defence Branch

 

[Michael Felse]

These pages are where I picked up the 1659019 number from 1918 does this thrown any light on the quest please. 

[Michael Felse]

[Terry_Reeves]

13 hours ago, Michael Felse said:

 

Sorry, my mistake , I thought he was a British soldier. I shall stand in the naughty boy corner.

TR

[Michael Felse]

Hi Terry - no problem - thank you for taking time to look for us. 

[Mark1959]

Just about all US Army service papers from WW1 were destroyed in a fire at the records depot in St Louis in the 1970s

see https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/fire-1973

So there is little hope of finding anything further on his actual service, Although you could ask.

https://www.archives.gov/veterans

 

Edited 15 November , 2023 by Mark1959

[JOVE23]

There are ancillary records that may have survived, such as VA documents post-war or unit reports. You can ask the national archives to search for them, but it's more efficient (but costly) to hire a private researcher to find what is available. You may also get lucky and discover his records survived the fire. 

 

EDIT: I did some cursory searching on ancestry and found a John Cunliffe born in 1896 in Wigan that registered for the draft in the United States out of Rhode Island. He had declared his intent to obtain US citizenship and was working as a dyer. He was not married.

[Michael Felse]

Hi guys.  It would help me if I can find out when my grandad signed up into the army.  His service number if 1918 was 1659019 a private in the Med Dept 302 Inf ?? By then he had been shipped to Rhode Island USA aged 33 in camp prep for army deployment.